Ladder rung and socket.



No. 890,319.. Y PATENTED JUNE 9 1908.

L. E. WELLS. LADDER HUNG AND SOCKET.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 25, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

anventoz alrbomw I No..890,819. PATEN' I'ED JUNE 9, 1908.

. L.. E: WELLS. I

LADDER RUNG AND SOCKET.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 25, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

perspective view of the two hurra satires arana enrich.

LEWIS E. WELLS, OF LITTLE HOCKING, OHIO.

LADDER BUNG AND SOCIUET.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS WELLs, a citizen of United States, residing atLittle Hocking, in the county of Washington, State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Ladder Rungs andSockets; and I do hereby declare the followmg to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledinthe art towhich it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has relation to ladders gen: erally and particularly tothe class known in the art as stage ladders.

It is the object of the invention to provide improvements in laddersthat will avoid the boring of the side rails and yet enhance thesecurity with which the ends of the rounds or rungs are connectedtherewith; also, to provide means for keeping the rounds tight in theirsockets; also, to provide an im roved construction that will prevent there. s from spreading; also, to provide improvements that will facilitatethe work of re air in case.

- of necessity; and also, to provi e improvements whereby the structuremay be made lighter without diminishing its strength.

The nature of the invention is ascertainable from the device portrayedin the anneXed drawings, forming a part of this specification, in view.of which it will first be described in detail with respect to itsconstruction and mode of operation and then be particularly pointed outin the subjoined claims. Of the drawingsFigure 1 is a front elevation ofmy improved ladder. Fi 2 is a like view of the end of a round secure ina socket connected with the side rail, drawn to an enlarged scale. Fig.3 is a transverse section through one of the rungs with a part of theside of the ladder in elevation. Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig.3. Fig. 5 is a side view of the end of a round. Fig. 6 is a arts of asplit socket separated from the rai and round.

Similar numerals of reference designate similar parts or features, asthe case may be, wherever they occur.

In the drawings 1 designates the side-rails of a ladder, and 2 therounds.

Instead of boring the rails and securing the ends of the rounds in saidbores, l. form a split socket A formed in two parts 3 and 4,

' each part being provided at its base with right-angular foot-plate 5,perforated for the reception of screw-bolts, 6, whereby theSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed Harch 25,

Patented June 9, 1908.

1901. serial No. 364,276.'

separate parts may be secured to the inner side of the side rails 1.When the said parts are brought together or nearly together they form asplit socket for the reception of the end 7 of a round 2; and in orderto effect greater security and stability in the connection ofthe end ofthe round with the rail, I make the diameter of the socket greater atthe point adjacent to the rail than at its inner endgradually taperingthe interior from the outer to the inner end,and l shape the end 7 ofthe round correspondinfly-that is, I taper the end from its extremityinward to an extent corresponding to the depth of the socket, thusforming a shoulder 8 on the round against which the outer ends of thesocket portions 9 of the parts 3 and4 may abut. The socketed ortionshave perforations formed through t ieir sides for the reception of theshanks of screwrivets'lO that may be tapped into the ends 7 of therounds.

By the means described it will be seen that the ends of the rounds willbe held in the sockets with the utmost security and that weight orstress being brought to bear on the rounds will tend rather to draw theside rails together than to allow them to spread. Should there be atendency of the parts to become loose byreason of the shrinkage of wood,or from other cause they can readily be tightened by turning up thescrew-bolts or rivets. The socket being split in structural character,it can readily be adjusted to varia tions in the sizes of the ends 7,and the parts can be applied and removed with the greatest ease andconvenience.

It is proposed to supply the parts 3 and 4, which are identical in formin varying sizes, if need be, ready for application to side rails ofvarying sizes and strengths. It is also proposed to make and sell therounds, constructed as described separately from the split sockets, butfor use with the same.

W'hat is claimed isl. A socket for securing the ends of a round of aladder to the side rails comprising two similar parts each formingone-half of a socket of larger diameter interiorly at its outer than atits inner end, gradually tapering from the outer to the inner end, alaterally extended foot plate being formed on the outer end of each-pairof parts, extending in opposite directions and in the same plane andperforations formed through the foot plate and side of the socket part.

#2. A socket for securing the ends of the round of a ladder to the siderails, consisting of a split socket having an interior diametergradually ta ering from its outer to its inner end, and eac split partbeing provided with a foot-plate extending in the same plane but in op.osite'directions.

3. n a ladder, the combination of the siderails and rounds, of a socketdevice -for attaching each end of each round to the side rails, the saidrails being imperiorate at the ends of the rounds, the socket de vicecomprising two parts, each forming onehalf of the socket, the latterbeing of larger diameter interiorly at its outer than at its inner endand tapering gradually inward from the outer end, an angular foot-platebeing formed on the outer end of each part adapted to it on the innerface of the side rail and perforated to receive a'screw to fasten it tothe rail, they end of the round received in the socket being taperedcorrespondingly to the ta )er of the socket, and the socket being insetin the end to bring its outside surface flush with the outside of theadjacent part of the round.

4. In a ladder,'the combination of the side rails and rounds, of asocket-device for attachiIig each end of each round to the siderails,the said rails being imperforate at the ends of the rounds, the socketdevice of the round received in the socket being t'aperedcorrespondingly to the taper of the socket, and the socket bein inset inthe end to bring its outside surface fiush with'the outside of theadjacent part of the round.

In testimony whereof, I aflix Iny signa ture, in presence of twowitnesses.

LEWIS E. \NELLS.- Witnesses:

WILLIAM RUTHERFORD, H. B. CLIFTON.

